Where does the Russian non-soft "L" fall? Even un-palatalized it sounds a tad squashed.
It sounds like it also involves the throat a bit.
Having trouble getting it out, for some reason. The Arabic "L" is never palatalized, that may be the reason. And English "L" isn't *quite* on par, I think.
Food for thought: My Arabic interferes more in Russian acquisition than my L1 English. I think that's where my trouble is with this "L"; Arabic L is mostly always a flap, the throat passive.